


Do you like January embers?

by placetne



Series: Derry City's Dark Knight [2]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Ben is truly a super man, Bev is Lois, But not violent in this, F/M, He is very controlling, I borrowed the bones of this from Superman (1978) and the iconic interview scene, Minor Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Superman AU, Tom is Lex Luthor, Tom is the worst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24132349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/placetne/pseuds/placetne
Summary: Beverly Marsh is new in town, but she is already a draw for Derry City. Metropolis's newest hero makes a special trip just for an interview.
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh
Series: Derry City's Dark Knight [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741309
Kudos: 3





	Do you like January embers?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I am back. I really like playing around with this idea. My sister let me ramble to her all about my DC (Derry City) and helped me develop where Benverly fit in. I hope you enjoy reading! Please let me know in the comments; y'all are truly the best for reading and commenting.

Beverly Marsh didn’t really know how she had ended up here. But, standing on her porch in the crisp night air, she thought back to when she had noticed her life going off the rails.

High school and college had been fine. She hadn’t had a lot of close friends, but she had kept her head down and her grades up. Her focus had paid off, and she had gotten an internship at _The Daily Planet_ during her senior year that transitioned smoothly into an entry level job. Her dream was to work her way up to being an investigative reporter; nothing thrilled her like figuring out how all the pieces of a story went together and crafting it into something that drew readers in. However, the old boys’ club decided that, with her looks, she belonged in the society section.

At first, the job was boring. She mostly wrote up wedding and birth announcements from the comfort of her desk in the middle of a cubicle farm. After two years, she started attending smaller events. The next year, she began getting invites to fashion shows. It turns out, she had a real knack for spotting who was the real deal and who was just a flash in the pan. So, she got stuck being _the_ fashion reporter for Metropolis. Not to sound ungrateful—the parties were fun, she was good at the work, and she gained unbelievable connections. But the novelty wore off, and Bev was bored once again.

During this time, she met Tom Rogan. Of RoganCorp. He was magnetic on both a social and a personal level. He could be found at the center of any Metropolis event, be it political, social, or business-related. He owned the biggest corporation in the country, knew everyone, and, most relevantly, was dressed by anyone who was anyone. So, Bev set up an interview as soon as she had the name recognition to get through to his personal assistant. 

During the subsequent interview, Tom had asked her out. Taken aback and flattered, she said yes. And this, this was the moment her life began to fall apart in slow motion. She could see it happening, but she was powerless to prevent it. At first everything was fun and glamorous—private jets, champagne, jewelry. But the cracks began to show more quickly than she could believe. Tom’s jealousy had her answering questions about every man she interacted with at work, from her boss to her barista. She would push back, threaten to leave, and he would threaten her whole career. Her credibility. She was stuck. And then she was engaged. 

So, five years after starting at the _Planet_ , she was trapped in a loveless engagement and planning the wedding of the century. The universe decided to rub some salt in the wound, and she got a new deskmate—Ben Hanscom. Ben could have been designed to show her all of Tom’s flaws. He was quiet, respectful, empathetic, and kind. He cared about building a career that was worthwhile and fulfilling, not just about the bottom line. He was also adorable. A midwestern nerd with the body of a model had been dropped into her lap, and she could do nothing. Over coffees and lunches, she tried to drop enough hints for him to see the outline of her situation. God, she hoped it had been enough.

As soon as Tom saw Ben, on one of his random visits to her office, he had finally pulled the trigger on his latest scheme—expanding RoganCorp to Derry City. All she had time to leave for Ben was an anonymous email that she only checked on public computers. So, here she was, finalizing the plans for her dream wedding in a new city, with only sporadic email communication with the man who had become her best friend and a few pieces to write as a columnist for the _Planet_. 

Derry City had a surprising amount to offer her. Bill Denbrough, the police commissioner, and Mike Hanlon, the head of the board of Kaspbrak Industries, were frequent dinner guests at the penthouse, and they both went out of their way to befriend her as much as Tom would allow. Bill occasionally brought the beautiful Audra Phillips along as a date, and Bev made a game about trying to guess what Audra’s mysterious “career” was. And, of course, she followed the exploits of Batman, Robin, and a host of other costumed cops and robbers religiously. She didn’t imagine there were many people in Derry City who didn’t.

However, her favorite news stories were those covering the mysterious hero saving Metropolis. He was enigmatic, but not like Batman. He clearly didn’t mind showing his face, but he was reticent to speak to reporters. Or he had been. Tonight, he was coming to the porch of her penthouse for his very first interview. 

“Good evening, Ms. Marsh.” 

Bev, shaken out of her reverie by the deep voice, blushed. She hoped that her outfit looked like she had just come from a dinner party, not like she had spent hours agonizing over what to wear. To help calm her nerves, she pulled out a cigarette.

“You shouldn’t smoke, Ms. Marsh.”

“Lung cancer?” Bev shot back, raising one eyebrow.

“Not yet,” the caped hero said with what sounded like relief. 

“Well, Mr…what should I call you?” Bev asked. “Is the ‘S’ an initial?”

“It is more of a symbol than a name,” he explained.

“Well, that sounds a bit complex for a splashy society headline. Let’s keep it simple. Super. S could be for Superman?”

“I don’t know that I could approve of giving myself such a name, but coming from you, Ms. Marsh, I am deeply complimented.” 

“Okay, Superman it is. Superman, this will be a society piece, so I need some basic facts for inquiring minds. Height, weight, relationship status, home town. List of powers is an unusual, but I think necessary, addition to the list.”

“I’ll do my best to oblige. 6’4”, 225, single, the planet Krypton. Flight, super speed, super strength, X-ray vision, and heat vision.”

“Honestly, the most unbelievable stat on that list is ‘single,’” Bev quipped. 

“Trust me, if that one changes, you will be the first to know, Ms. Marsh,” Superman said, quietly. 

Bev blushed again (honestly, was she losing her edge?) as Superman tilted his head. 

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to take a raincheck, Ms. Marsh. Though Derry City isn’t my home, I imagine even Batman himself accepts help in the case of large fires.” 

He took her hand, brushed his lips against her knuckles, and leapt off the porch.

Bev stumbled and scrambled for a seat on the chaise. How _had_ she ended up here?


End file.
